Machine for uniting knitted webs.



L. N D. WILLIAMS.

MACHINE FOR UNITING KNITTED WEBS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20. 1916 RENEWED FEB. 6,1917.

1, 39,2%1t Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

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J ZW ALME Q L. N. D. WILLIAMS.

MACHINE FOR UNITING KNITTED WEBS. APPLICATION FILED JAN.20,1916- mznswzoFEB. 6.1917.

1 ,23@,, $4M Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

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MACHINE FOR UNITIIIG KNITTED WEBS. APPLICATION FILED JAN.20. 191s.RENEWED FEB. 6.1917.

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L. N. D. WILLIAMS.

MACHINE FOR UNITING KNITTED WEBS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20, I916.RENEWED FEB. 6.1917,

Patented Sept. 4, 1917/.

6 SHEETSSHEET 6.

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, LOUIS n. n. WILLIAMS, or oeonrz, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR UNI TING KNITTED WEBS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 41:, 1917..

Application filed January 20, 1916, Serial No. 73,116. Renewed February6, 1917. Serial No. 146,986.

To all whom it may concern:

-Be it known that 1, Lotus N. D. WIL- LIAMS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Ogontz, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Machines for Uniting Knitted Webs, of which thefollowing is a specification.

, The object of my invention is to effect, at minimum expense, theuniting of the stitches around one half of the end of a knitted web tothose around the other half of said end, as for instance, the stitchesextending around the sole portion of the toe pocket of an article ofhosiery to those around the instep portion of the same, and my inventioncomprises mechanical means for receiving the stitches from the needlesof the machine upon which the web was produced, doubling the stitchesaround one half of said web with those around the other half of thesame, and then uniting these doubled stitches so as to closethe end ofthe web. r

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a top view of a machineconstructed in accordance with my invention, but omitting the loopingdevices;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4: are transverse sections of the same on the line a-a,Fig. 1, showing.

certain movable parts in different positions of adjustment in thediflerent views and showing also the looping devices, but 0mit-- tingcertain stripper fingers shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a stitch doublingoperation which is the reverse of that shown in said figure, and showingalso a reverse disposition of the loo ing devices necessitated thereby;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a machine of the type shown in Fig. 5, butshowing the rotatable members of the machinemoved to the extent of aquarter-turn from that there represented, and showing also the pointsfrom which the stitches have been transferred restored to their normalposition;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line b-Z), Fig. 6, but on asmaller scale;

F'g. 8 is a view similar to part of Fig. 7, but illustrating certain ofthe parts in a different position from that'there shown;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of one of the parts shown'in Figs. 7 and 8; ii

Figs. 10 and 11 are views similar, respectively, to Figs. 3 and 4. butillustrating a modified form of the device, and

. is provided with stitch receiving points disposed in a circle andmounted in a point ring. My invention, however, in its broaderembodiment is not limited to this construction.

' As shown in Figs. 1 to 4;, inclusive, of the drawings, 1 represents afixed base structure upon which is mounted, so' as to be free to rotate,a cylinder 2, the latter having at the top a seat for the reception of aring 3 which carries a circularly disposed set of stitch receivingpoints 4, 4*, said ring structure being continuous and, although seatedon the cylinder 2 so as to partake of any movement imparted to thelatter, being readily removable from said cylinder.

The cylinder 2 may have intermittent movements of partial rotationimparted to it by any suitable means, such, for instance, as shown inLetters Patent 1,069,336, dated August 5, 1913, and the stitch receivingpointsmounted on said cylinder cooperate with looping needles m, w,similar to those shown in said patent, these looping needles being sodisposed in respect to the points of the point ring that they will notonly unite the stitches of each pair carried by a point but will alsovform a chain'of stitches uniting the successive pairs of stitchescarried by a set of points.

The base 1 has a fixed cover plate 1 and upon the latter is mounted anannular structure comprising a fixed semi-annular member 5 and aswinging semi-annular member .5, each of these members having secured toit a hinge member 6 or 6 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4),. The hinge members 6, 6have at the top, overlapping ears 7, 7 (Fig. 1) wh chare hinged togetherby means of a contra. pivot pin 7", so that the member 5 can be adjusted.in line horizontally with the member 5, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, orcan be swung over into a plane parallel with but above said member 5, asshown in Fig. 4:.

In the member 5 is formed a semi-annular vertical guideway 8 for thereception and guidance of a semi-annular carrier 9 for a semi-circularseries of transfer points 10 which registerwith and fit snugly to thestitch receiving points 45, lifting movement .niounted so as to movevertically in a depending boss 12 on the base of the cylinder 2, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Mounted upon the semi-annular segment 5 is a semi-annular sleeve 13which carries at the top a semi-annularly disposed series of stripperfingers 14*, which project between and cotiperate with the stitchtransfer points 10.

The stitch receiving points 4 are, by 'preference, shorter than thepoints.4 and, in order to properly guide and retain the sleeve 13 andits stripper fingers 14 in their movements, said sleeve 13 is providedwith a guide box 15 adapted to slide upon a projecting stud 16 on thebase flange ofthe annular segment 5*, said stud being slotted for thereception of a stem 17 whereby the movements of the sleeve 13 areeffected.

Before the point carrying vring 3 is mounted upon the cylinder 2 thestitch receiving points 4' and 4* have removed the stitches from theneedles of the knitting machine, the point ring 3,-with the stitchesupon its points, being then applied to the The segment 5 and the partscarried.

thereby is then swung from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to thatshown in Fig. 4 so as to fold that portion of the web formerly carriedby the points 4? over onto the portion still carried by the points 4.The points 10 now register with the corresp-onding points 4, and thestripping fin-.

gers 14 are projected so as to strip the stitches from the transferpoints. 10 .and

force. them onto the stitch receiving points 4 4, as shown in Fig. 4,and thereby-double them on the points 4 with the stitches alreadycarried by said points. Previous "to this action the looping mechanismmay 'be moved outwardly from the points 4, as

shown in Fig. 4, so as not to interfere with the transfer of thestitches from the points- -10 to the points 4.

The segment .5 and the parts carried thereby are then-restored to theiroriginal position as shown in Fig. 2, and, (the looping mec anism havingbeen restored .to its normal relation to the points 4 and the cylinder'2given a quarter turn so as to bring the first point 4 of the series intoline with said looping mechanism) the doubled stitches upon said points4 are united by.

means of the looping mechanism, successive pairs of stitches beingbrought into line with the looping mechanism by imparting intermittentmovements of to the cylinder 2.

Instead of transferring the stitches from the points 10 onto the points4, as before described, the stitches may be transferred from the points4 onto the points 10, if departial rotation sired, and, aftersaid'points 4 ."have been restored to their original position, thecylinder 2 may be turned to the extent of a quarter turn, as shown inFig. 6, so as *to bring the doubled stitches upon the first of theseries of points 10 into position for being united by the loopingdevices, the lat- .ter being adjusted to their normal relation to thepoints 10, as shown in Fig. 6.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5 the point carrying ring 3 is splitso as to permit the points 4 to be folded over into reg istry with thepoints 10, in order to permit transfer of stitches from one to theother, but this is not essential, for as shown in Fig. 12 the entirering may, after the transfer of the stitches from the points 4 to thepoints 10, be reversed in position so as to cause the points4 toregister with said points 10 for the-purpose of stripping-the stitchesfromsaid points 4 onto the points 10, or the reverse, as desired. In thecon-' struction shown in Fig. 12 the structure upon which the'pointcarrying ring. 3 is mounted is itself in the form of a ringcarried by the swinging member 5 and the cylinder 2' is replaced by asegment 2 slotted for theguidance of the segment 9 which carries thepoints 10.

When the method of operation shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is employed, somemeans for supporting the segment 9 during the looping operation shouldbe provided. As an instance of suchfsupporting means, I have shown inFigs. 5 to 9 a flanged segment 20, mounted on the member 5 so as tobesusceptible of a limited amount of turning movement thereon; the flangeof said segment 20 having pivotally mounted. thereon a series of fingers21, which project through slots in the member 5, and when the segment 20is in the position shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are projected into theguldeway 8 beneath the segment 9 so as to support the latter, but whensaid segment 20 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 8, will bewithdrawn from said guideway 8 so as to permit of the lowering of thesegment 9 and its points 10 from-the position shown in Figs. 5.and 6 toythat shown in Fig. 2, the member 5 be1ng slotted as, shown at 22 in Fig.7, for the action of the means whereby downward pressure is exerted uponsaid segment 9 for th1s purose. P I prefer, in all cases, to mount thestitch receiving points in a continuous ring Structure because of thefacility with which the latter can be applied to and removed fromneeaaii the knitting machine cylinder or the cylinder 2, and to employin connection with the fixed set of stitch receiving points 4 acorresponding set of swinging transfer points 10. In Figs. 10.and 11,however, I have illustrated a construction in which the transfer points10 and their appurtenances have been Omitted, the stitch receiving pointring, the cylinder upon which it is mounted, and the cylindersurrounding the latter being all composed of semi-annular segments,asshown, respectively, at 3, 3 2, 2? and 5, 5, whereby the stitchreceiving points 4 may be turned over so as to register with thecorresponding stitch receiving points 4L, as shown in Fig. 11, thestitches carried by said points P being then stripped therefrom andforced onto the cor responding points 4 so as to be doubled with thestitches already upon the latter, the segments 2 3 and 5 and the partscarried thereby being then restored to their original positionspreparatory to" the looping together of the pairs of stitches upon thepoints 4,

In this type of machine the points 4 and 4-? are er the same length. 7

I am aware of the patent 'of WalterD. Butz, No. 1,068,853, dated July29, 1913, in which is shown a stitch transferring and doubling devicecomprising two semi-ennu lar structures each carrying a semi-circularset of stitch receiving points and also provided with hinges whereby thepoints of one half of the set can be turned over into registry with thecorresponding points of the other half of the set. In many cases,however, it is advisable to mount the point carrying ring in the top ofthe needle cylinder of the knitting machine and to permit it to remainthere during'the knitting of the web, and, in such case, the formationof the hinges upon the same structure as the point carrying ring isobjectionable since said hinges. interfere with the free delivery of theknitted web from the needles during the knitting operation.

Even when the stitch receiving points are applied to the stitches fromabove, after the completion of the knitted web, the hinges are in theWay.

The present device is, therefore, provided with a special hingestructure to which the point ring can'be applied after having receivedthe stitches from the needles of the knitting machine, and from whichsaid point ring can be readily removed when the stitches have beendoubled upon one set of the points and united by the looping mechamsm.

The one-piece point ring, with which cooperates the semi-circular set oftransfer points 10, is also preferable. to a two-part ring because ofthe lessened liability to error in efiecting transfer of stitches fromthe-needles to the points or from one half of the original stitchreceiving points to the other.

When the point carrier is composed of separate halves as shown in Figs.10 and 11, l find it advisable in some cases to pivot both halves of thecarrier, so that they can be swung over one another, as the. use ofsingle thread chains on opposite sides of the row of united stitches is.in many cases, preferable to the use of a double thread chain on oneside of the same.

It will be evident that when the point carrier and the cylinder 2 arecomposed of opposite segments, as shown in'Figs. 10 and 11, it isimmaterial on which side of the cylinder the hinge structure is located.

In any event the structure 33 whichcarries the points is separate fromthe structure 55 which carries the pivots, hence said pivots can be sodisposed as not to for transferring stitches from one section of pointsto the other, said means being carried by that part of the pivotstructure which is thus folded.

2. The combination of a set of stich receiving points, a carriertherefor, a set of stitch transferring points for removing the stitchesfrom one half of the original stitch receiving points. and means forregistering said stitch transferring points and the other half of theoriginal stitch receiving points to permit transfer of stitches from oneto the other.

3. The combination of a set of stitch receiving points of which one halfare shorter than those ofthe other half, a series of stitch transferringpoints in registry with the short stitch receiving points and serving toremove the stitches therefrom, and means for bringing said transferpoints into registry with the long stitch receiving points to permittransfer of stitches from one to the other.

4-. The combination, of a circularly disposed series of stitch receivingpoints, a continuous ring carrier therefor, a semicircular series ofstitch transferring points cooperating with onehalf of the stitch receiving points of said continuous ring carrier and serving to remove thestitches therefrom, and means for bringing said semi-circular series ofstitch transferring set of stitch interfere with the engagement of theweb one half of the stitch receiving 'points and serving to transfer thestitches therefrom,

and means for swinging said transfer points over into'registry with-theopposite half of the original stitch receiving pointsso that thestitches may be transferred from one to the other.

' 6. The combination of'a set of stitch receiving .points, -means. for;'transferring stitches from one half of said points to the.

V other half of the same, and looping mechanism cooperating with thelatter polnts so as to unite to one anothenthe double stitchesthereupon.

7. The combinatlon of a series of stitch -receiving points, a set oftransfer points 1 whereby the stitches can be removed from one half ofsaid StltCh receiving points, meansfor registering said transfer pointsof stitch receiving points so as to permit transfer of the stitchesfrom. one set to the other, and looping mechanlsm cooperating with thelatter. points so as to unite to oneanother the double stitchesthereupon.

8. The combination of a circularly dis-- posed series of stitchreceiving points, a continuous ring carrier for said points, a set oftransfer points whereby the stitches can be removed from one half of thecircle of stitch receiving points, means for registering said transferpoints with the other half of the original series of stitch, receivingpoints, so as to permit transfer of the stitches from one set to theother, and looping mechanism cooperating with the latter points so as tounite to one another the double stitches thereupon.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence ofv two subscribing witnesses. v 7.. LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses i y KATE A. BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER.

withthe other half "of the original series

